So, the soul-sucking void that is the annual Academy Awards wasn’t quite as sucky as anticipated. In fact, things started off quite well when Christoph Waltz won his well-deserved and much-predicted Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Inglourious Basterds). Then, things launched into a sharp downward trajectory when Quentin Tarantino got robbed of the Best Original Screenplay award, and it started to get really ugly when Avatar snatched up three prizes, including one for Cinematography (hereinafter known as the Virtual Cinematography award for excellency in CGI/green screen bullshit). Suddenly, it all turned around when Katherine Bigelow (dir. The Hurt Locker) began mercilessly ripping victories away from James Cameron (more than he planned for, anyway). And, even though I’d rather have seen Inglourious Basterds sweep the Oscars, it comes as a close second to see The Hurt Locker take Best Director and Best Picture instead of Avatar. Also, I suspect that Linda Hamilton — with popcorn in lap and an endless supply of cocktails — must have enjoyed the hell out of the evening. Of course, it’s evident that Hamilton is pretty much batshit crazy, but we’ll root for her happiness any day over that 3D boob to whom both she and Bigelow used to be married. Team Hamilton!